Morning After
by baby8love
Summary: Lightman/Foster! Everything up to & including "Honey" is fair game!
1. Chapter 1

He woke up to the smell of coffee and…what was that? It took a moment for him to gather himself and remember where he was. Gillian's. Her spare bedroom. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he threw his legs over the side of the bed and headed out into the hallway.

"Is that chocolate I smell?" He sniffed the air again as he entered the kitchen, which was where he found his hostess.

Gillian was at the dinner table, newspaper in one hand and a cup in her other. "Mmm…hot chocolate." She held her cup up but her eyes stayed on the paper. "I put on some coffee for you."

"Hot chocolate in the morning?" Chocolate pudding, orange slushies – hot chocolate shouldn't surprise him. He chuckled, finding a cup easily and pouring himself some coffee.

"Is there a better time for hot chocolate?" She looked at him as he joined her at the table.

He grimaced as the coffee hit the back of his throat. "Oh my God, what is this?"

"Coffee…" She said carefully before adding, "It's actually Alec's. I accidentally packed it with my other stuff. I don't drink coffee at home so, I just thought…" She trailed off and held back a laugh. "Is it that bad?"

He was already at the sink, pouring out the remnants of the drink. "Remind me to get you some real coffee." As he returned to the table, he read the curious look she was giving him and he answered, "You know, for the next time I get taken hostage and need to stay over for the night again."

She pursed her lips and put down her paper. "That's not funny, Cal."

"Too soon, yeah?" He leaned back, wrapping his arm around the back of the chair. "Sleep well, love?"

"Alright, considering…" She took a sip of her hot chocolate before returning the question, "You?"

"I think I would've been a lot worse if I had slept in an empty home." He paused before shooting up from his seat and gesturing towards the front door. "So, you gonna be ready after that hot chocolate of yours?"

"What? No…I mean, you should, at least, go home and shower…and change."

He lifted the front of his shirt up to his nose and sniffed it. "I'm not that bad. I've been worse."

"You should go home." She got up and patted him on the chest. "Get out of those clothes."

What she wasn't adding was, _"Those clothes that you were wearing when you were taken hostage and had a gun pointed at your head all day."_

He smirked. "Is that a request?"

The responding expression on her face told him she was in no mood to joke around. "Cal…"

"Alright then, I could use a real cup of coffee anyway." He looked pointedly at her before slipping on his blazer. "I'll see you later at the office?"

She nodded but said nothing. There was a pregnant pause as they looked at each other. The moment was quickly interrupted, however, by the jarring sound of Cal's phone. He muttered a curse under his breath as he fished it out of his inside pocket. "Yeah, hello?" He answered, though his eyes stayed on Gillian. She had turned away to give him some privacy.

He quickly finished the call and met with Gillian's eyes again. "Um…yeah, that was Zoe. Looks like she found out from someone other than me."

"She can't be happy about that."

"No, she's stomping mad. Says Em is a bit angry with me too. I should…"

"You should get going."

"Yeah…uh…yeah." A million different thoughts raced through his mind as he made the short trek to the front door. He stopped after opening it, allowing the bright morning sun pour into the room. "Um…so…I'll see you at the office then?"

She smiled gratefully as he placed a reassuring hand on her arm as he said goodbye. Even though they had both calmed a lot since last night, she knew nothing would be the same. _Morning after's were never fun to deal with_, she thought to herself as she closed the door, _but they would all have to deal with this one no matter how much they didn't want to._

*****

When Cal returned home, he was surprised to find that his daughter was still there along with her mother. His surprise quickly turned to annoyance as Zoe intercepted him between the front door and the stairs.

"I know you're angry with me but if you don't mind, I'd really like to shower before I argue with you."

She grabbed his arm as he tried to slip past her. "Where were you all night?"

He glared at her, clearly getting more annoyed by the second, but all of his emotions dissipated when he spotted Emily peeking out from the kitchen. "Hi, love, I thought you'd be on your way to school by now." He gave one last glance at Zoe before making his way towards his daughter.

"I thought I'd make sure you were alright before I headed out."

The fact that he could only find worry in her eyes made him feel guilty for the first time since entering the house. "I'm sorry. I'm alright. I really am. I should've called you earlier…"

Emily seemed much more willing to forgive than her mother. She stretched her arms out to invite her father into a hug and he obliged gratefully. "I'm just glad you're ok, Dad." As he pulled away, she managed a playful smile and asked, "Where did you stay last night, anyway?"

"I stayed at Gillian's, actually." He found it rather amusing when he noticed the surprise on Emily's face.

She clearly had not expected such honesty from him, at least, not so quickly without any prodding necessary. "Is she alright?"

"Yeah, love, no need to worry. She's just a bit shaken up, is all."

"I can imagine…" Emily shot a quick glance over her father's shoulder at her mother, who was still standing frigidly at the bottom of the stairs. "Um…ok, I better get going. I don't wanna be late. I'm really glad you're ok, Dad. Try not to have anymore guns pointed at you today, ok?" She gave him a quick pat on the shoulder and gave Zoe a quick peck on the cheek before leaving.

Cal smiled but his smile faded when he turned and remembered that his ex-wife was still waiting for him. "I don't wanna talk about it right now, Zo." He lifted his hand to stop her and, this time, successfully slipped past her onto the staircase.

"No, of course, you never liked talking to me. That was how it was when we were married. Why should I expect anything different now that we're apart?"

Stopping halfway up the stairs, he turned and looked down at her. She had her arms crossed. He knew she was angry and annoyed but so was he. "If you came here to argue with me, I'm afraid you've just wasted a trip. If you came to ask how I was doing, I can tell you I'm fine. That's it. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to shower and change and go to work cuz apparently, being taken hostage doesn't give you a free pass from work."

She knew the discussion was over. With one last pointed look, he turned and made the rest of his way up the stairs. By the time he had locked himself inside the bathroom, he could hear the front door opening and closing, signifying Zoe's exit. He sighed, looking at himself in the mirror. He looked haggard. _I guess being a hostage for an entire day could tire you out. _But there was no resting now. His office and work were waiting.

*****


	2. Chapter 2

When Gillian arrived in the office, it was already bustling with people. If she hadn't been here for yesterday's excitement, she would've never known there had been a hostage situation. Someone must've gotten the janitorial staff in here to clean up late last night. Everything looked spotless, that is, until she saw the bullet hole right next to the receptionist's desk.

"Hard to pretend like nothing's happened when there are bullet holes everywhere." Heidi, the receptionist, poked her head out from behind the desk.

Gillian ran her finger over the cracked dry wall where the bullet had pierced through. "Are Loker and Torres in?"

"Yeah, they're in the lab."

She made a beeline for the center of the office where the lab was situated and, indeed, found Eli and Ria exchanging whispers. They immediately stopped and looked up when she entered. Any other day and she would've prodded for a piece of the gossip but not today. "The Brandon case."

"Uh yeah…I'll start getting ready for it…" Ria got up, preparing to leave.

"No, it's alright. Give me the case file. I'll do it."

"But…" Ria stopped herself. Gillian seemed different this morning, not that it was surprising. They were all different. Having gone through what they went through yesterday, it would be shocking if they were still the same. She handed the folder to Gillian without further protest. "Here you go. Chase Brandon is landing this morning. He'll be attending the luncheon at the mayor's office this afternoon. His wife, Betty Brandon, will be here tonight to hear the results."

"Ok. I want you two to help Lightman on his cases. He has several to deal with these next few days." With that, Gillian turned on her heels and left.

Eli held his hands out in disbelief. "Wh-…so are we just gonna pretend like nothing happened?" Ria gave him a tired look and simply followed Gillian out the door, leaving Eli to shake his head alone. "Ok…pretend like nothing happened. I can do that."

By the time Ria chased down Gillian, she was already seated in her office, looking up information on her computer. "Is there anything you need help on for the Brandon case?"

"No…all the information you've looked up before, it's all here in the file, right?"

"Yes, but…"

"Torres," Gillian's voice was strained, like she was trying hard not to blow up or break down, "just start doing prep work for the cases Lightman has. He should be in soon."

Ria nodded, however hesitantly, and began backing out of her office. She stopped at the door, her hand already on the doorknob, deciding this was one time she couldn't ignore what she saw. "I know we have some unspoken rule around here that we're supposed to mind our business and not give a crap about everything else we see or do or go through but…" She paused, waiting for Gillian to look up at her. When she finally did, Ria continued, "I know you don't believe in it. I know you want to care. I can't pretend like nothing happened yesterday. I know you can't either. I can see it on your face."

Gillian knew there was no use denying it. She could also tell that Ria was just as troubled by everything as she was. Her stance softened. "Sit down, Torres."

Ria obliged and waited for Gillian to continue.

"I know you feel guilty." She watched as Ria flinched ever so slightly. "And I can tell you a million times that it wasn't your fault but until you believe that yourself, you will continue feeling guilty."

"I didn't lock my doors. How stupid was that?" She looked away, too proud to let Gillian see the frustration in her eyes.

"It was pretty stupid." Ria gave her a surprised look and she managed a soft chuckle. "It was stupid. Nobody's denying it but you can't keep beating yourself up over it. We all came out of it in one piece, that's all that matters."

"He could've died."

"But he didn't." There was not a hint of reluctance or waver in her voice.

Ria said nothing for a moment, taking the time to look at the older woman. After a long pause, she smiled knowingly. "I get it now. You and Lightman. You're like the yin to his yang. No matter how cynical he is, you always manage to find the silver lining."

Gillian smiled at the observation. "It's not always easy."

"I can imagine. I don't think even he realizes how strong you are. He thinks he's contaminated you."

Taken aback by the comment, Gillian frowned. She was about to ask what Ria had meant when there was a knock on her door. Both women looked to find Cal on the other side of the glass. Without waiting for an answer, he pushed the door open and stepped into the office. He acknowledged Ria with a look but quickly turned his focus to Gillian. "Hi, Loker told me you took over the Brandon case."

Ria knew this was her cue to leave. She avoided her boss's eyes as she slipped past him out of the office.

"She still feels guilty about what happened yesterday." Gillian answered before Cal could ask.

"And she should."

"Cal…"

"What? It's her fault Matheson got in here with a gun. I'm not going to sugarcoat it to make her feel better about herself."

"No one's asking you to lie but continuing to make Torres feel guilty won't solve anything. You need her back to where she was before yesterday for her to be of any help around here."

Cal nodded, knowing she was right, but Torres wasn't the reason why he had come in here. He quickly got back on track. "I just spoke to Loker. He told me you took the Brandon case from Torres."

"Yes. Last cheating spouse case, I promise."

"That's not why I'm asking about it."

"I thought Torres could use some more experience dealing with cases directly under you. She could learn a lot more that way."

"She could also learn a lot taking cases on her own." He stepped forward, closer to the desk, and studied his partner's face. "You wouldn't be avoiding me, right, Foster?"

"Not everything's about you, Cal." Suddenly feeling very uncomfortable under Cal's watchful eyes, Gillian shuffled some papers around and fidgeted with other things on her desk. Anything to keep from having to look up at him.

"Did something happen? You seemed alright this morning…" He was confused by her sudden coldness towards him.

"Everything's fine. I just decided to finish up the Brandon case on my own. It's no big deal, Cal." She got up, grabbing her purse along the way. "I should get going. I gotta get ready for the mayor's luncheon. Chase Brandon is supposed to be there." She, like Ria before her, avoided Cal's eyes as she moved past him out the door.

Cal stood alone in the room with his hands in his pockets, looking around as if there would be a hint somewhere in the office that would explain to him why Gillian was behaving this way towards him. He found nothing of the sort and sighed. This was going to be one long morning.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey, bossman…" At Cal's disapproving look, Eli held his hands up in mock defense. "Sorry, I'm a little weird in the head today. My boss almost got shot yesterday so…" He handed Cal a folder. "The info you told Torres to look up."

"Why isn't she giving this to me herself?"

"Because she's also a little weird in the head today?" Eli shrugged nonchalantly. "I wouldn't know, though," He lifted a hand up to his lips as if he had a secret to share, "we're pretending like nothing happened yesterday."

Cal knew he wasn't going to get away with just ignoring his underling today. He sighed, leaning back in his chair and laying his hands over his stomach. "If you've got something to say, Loker, you should just say it."

"Well, that's the thing, it seems as though I'm the only one around here who wants to talk about yesterday. Everyone else seems to have gotten their memory erased or something. Did Reynolds get one of those Men In Black pens? I would really like to try one of those out."

"Are you going to try to make sarcastic jokes all day long? Because if you are, you should just go home."

Eli threw his hands in the air in frustration. "I'm just trying to figure out why everyone's acting like yesterday wasn't a big deal! Cuz it was! You almost got shot! I could've gotten shot!"

"Is that what this is about? You want some kind of reward for saving my ass?"

"No!" The younger man considered it for a moment before adding, "Though, having a salary again would be really nice at this point…but that's not what I'm asking for. I only want recognition if that means you and Torres and Foster can all recognize that what we went through yesterday was a big deal."

"So…you do want recognition?" Cal watched as Eli's shoulders sunk.

"Never mind. I get it. We don't talk about feelings around here. Got it. If you need me, I'll be holed up in the lab with big headphones over my ears, ignoring everyone." He shot Cal a forced smile and headed towards the door.

"You may have heard some rumblings about our finances. We can't afford to pay you what you used to earn but if you can live with a very basic, primitive salary, I think that can be arranged."

Eli froze at the door. He stiffly turned around to face Cal again. "I…"

"You understand I will have to speak to Foster about it but I don't think she will protest much to the suggestion."

"That sounds…perfect."

"Good, now leave before I change my mind. Oh, could you get Torres to come in here?"

"I hope you're not gonna punish her for what happened…" He trailed off as Cal gave him a warning look. "Right, stopping, shutting up…I'll let Torres know you're looking for. Thanks, boss, I'm really glad you're ok and I'm not just saying that cuz you're paying me again."

Cal shook his head as Eli disappeared out into the hallway. He couldn't deny that the younger man was a useful asset to the company but sometimes the things Eli said…

Ria was in his office a few minutes later. He could tell she was uncomfortable having to be there alone with him in the room. "Loker said you were looking for me?"

"Yeah." He took a purposeful pause. "You scared to look at me or something?"

She lifted her eyes from the ground and looked straight at him with as much confidence as she could muster up. "No, why would I be?"

"Because you brought in a gunman who held me hostage the entire day? Or does that not matter?"

"I'm sorry. I messed up. I take full responsibility for it." Her voice stayed steady but her face betrayed her. She knew he was reading her and that pissed her off. "Look, if you wanna fire me, then just do it. Don't sit there and try to figure me out."

"You don't think I already know how you feel?"

"Are you going to fire me?" She asked, her voice tinged with annoyance.

"No."

She paused, trying to return the favour by reading him. His face was blank, as usual. "If this is some sick game you plan on playing…keeping me around…"

"Don't think so highly of yourself. I only like to play games with people that interest me. I'm keeping you on board because Foster seems to think you're still of use to us."

"Right. Foster." She could tell by the subtle twitch of his eyebrows that he was having trouble interpreting what she had meant. She smiled, taking her time to drink in the moment. "You know, everyone thinks that you're some cold, emotionless bastard who would rather read someone than bother getting to know them…"

"I am a cold, emotionless bastard."

"No, that's not true. That's just a front you like to put on for other people. Make yourself seem distant and unapproachable but, the truth is, you're just like the rest of us. You care."

"You think you know me?" He scoffed.

She ignored his attempt to derail her. "Actually, I think you care a lot more than I ever imagined you capable of."

"I dunno what you think you know about me, but…"

"I heard what you said to Matheson yesterday. About the guilt he felt over his wife. You said you felt the same way about a woman you knew."

Cal was silent. His face gave no indication of how he was feeling. It never did.

"You were talking about Foster, weren't you?"

"I think that's enough, Torres." His voice was stern and his eyes had become unsympathetic.

She opened her mouth, ready to spout more but knew she shouldn't keep pushing. "The file Loker gave you earlier, all the info you asked me to find is in there. Is there anything else you need?"

"No." He hated admitting it but Ria's words played like a broken record inside his mind. He closed his eyes, desperately trying to shut it all out. "Torres." He opened his eyes to find her standing in the doorway, looking at him curiously. "The mayor's luncheon. What time does it begin?"

*****

Gillian took one last look at herself as she approached the large double doors leading into the banquet hall. She looked pretty good for someone who had less than an hour to get herself together for the gala. She flashed her invitation to the greeter at the doors and was barely over the threshold before she spotted her target.

Chase Brandon. Tall, handsome, well-groomed. She could see why his wife was worried. Even in a room packed full of successful and charismatic men, her eyes had easily landed on Chase. She looked around at her immediate surroundings. There was no one around who she recognized. Good. She had been afraid the luncheon would be filled with politicians and dignitaries familiar with the Lightman Group. Fortunately, this luncheon seemed more geared towards businessmen. People who didn't necessary recognize her.

"Hi…oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were someone I knew." She touched Chase's arm briefly and quickly feigned embarrassment.

He met her smile with one of his own and offered her his hand. "That's alright. Chase Brandon. Now you know me. And you are?"

She shook his hand. "Gillian Foster." She held her breath as he seemed to consider her name for a moment. _Please don't recognize my name._

The apparent reluctance he had showed quickly dissolved into a larger smile. "I thought I would be stuck at some boring lunch with a bunch of boring businessmen but it looks like I'll be saved from that. I am so glad you're here, Gillian." He gestured towards the bar. "How about we get you a drink?"

Gillian was slightly horrified by Chase's overt flirtations. Even with other businessmen around who knew him and knew he was married, he made no attempts at hiding his advances towards her. Several times during their conversation, she had to remind herself she was doing this for work and that any sudden changes in her behaviour could tip him off. "So…" She managed her best fake smile. "I don't see a ring on your finger."

"That's because," He held up his hand, "there isn't one to put on. You know, I'm only here as a favour to the mayor. I'm actually returning to California tonight. I would love to get to know you better before I leave. Maybe we can go somewhere a little more private?"

She had to stop herself from recoiling as he placed his hand on hers. "Chase, I'm flattered, but…"

"She can't go with you because she's married."

A familiar voice made her snap her head around. There, standing behind her, was Cal, grinning at them like the Cheshire Cat. Her eyes widened, first out of shock of seeing him and then, because she feared he would blow their entire case apart. If anyone was more recognizable than her as the face of the Lightman Group, it was Cal.

"I'm sorry, what's going on here?" Chase immediately lifted his hand off of hers and stood up from the bar stool he had been seated on.

"The woman you've been getting touchy with? She's my wife." Cal intertwined his fingers with Gillian's and held up her hand. "Where is your ring, love?"

She was speechless. _What the hell is he doing?_

He turned back to Chase. "I'm sorry. My wife has been getting bored with me lately. She likes coming to these things and finding her own fun. Then, when I catch her, we go home, argue and then have amazing…"

She squeezed his hand as hard as she could to stop him. "There's no need to share every detail with this nice man, _honey_."

Cal held back a laugh. "I can see you're not married. You'll understand when you do get married though. It's really hard keeping this one happy."

"No…" Chase narrowed his eyes at the odd couple that stood before him. "I understand. I'm not sure the mayor's luncheon is the best place to play these games though." With that, he stormed away, angry that he had been played and even angrier that he wasn't going to get any action here this afternoon.

Gillian waited until their target was far out of earshot before she flung Cal's hand out of hers. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

He was still smiling. "Saving your ass! The man would've done anything to get in your pants!" He gave her a once over and corrected himself, "In your dress."

"I can handle myself, Cal." She began heading for the exit.

Following close behind, he waited until she stopped outside in the parking lot, where there were less people around to hear them. "No one in that room would've helped you if you had yelled for help. You know that. He was one of them! They don't betray one of their own."

"You just don't trust me."

"Why are you twisting my words around? I came to help."

"I didn't need your help, Cal."

"Why are you so angry with me?" He stepped closer to her, to the point where there was barely any distance between them. "Why are you so angry, Foster?"

She hated when he got in her face like this. There was nowhere to run. "I'm angry because you could've blown our cover! You would've wasted all the work I just put in!"

"You didn't need to stay to know he would've cheated. You already got your answer. You had what his wife asked for."

"I could've gotten out of that without your help." She insisted, taking a step back and grimacing when her back hit her car door. There really was nowhere to run.

"Are we gonna pretend like this is actually about what happened in there or are you gonna tell me what's really wrong?" When she said nothing and looked down at the ground, that only frustrated him more. "Foster…"

"It's nothing, Cal. I'm just…tired." She lifted her eyes to meet with his. She knew he could tell she was lying but instead of continuing to argue, he backed off, literally, giving her enough space to open her car door. "I know you don't think much of these cases but it's still a case, nonetheless. I need to write up a formal report and meet with his wife later tonight." She waited for him to say something but when he didn't, she got into her car and started the engine. As she headed out of the parking lot, she looked in the rearview mirror and found Cal still standing where she had left him, watching her drive away.


	4. Chapter 4

By the time Gillian returned to the office, most of the staff had left for the day already. She had gone home to change and to gather herself after her argument with Cal. Ready to get working on her report, she was disappointed to find Zoe waiting for her in her office. _Could this day get any worse?_

"If you're looking for Cal, I don't think he'll be coming back to the office today."

Zoe looked up as Gillian entered the room. "I'm here to see you, actually."

She was afraid Zoe would say that. "What can I do for you, Zoe?"

"I wanted to speak to you about Cal."

"If this is about him not calling you and Emily earlier…"

"I'm no longer married to him. I hold no misconceptions about what that means for us. He has no obligation to me but yes, he should've called his own daughter to let her know before she found out on her own."

Zoe's voice was strained. Gillian could tell that despite what she had said, it still bothered her that she had to find out from someone else rather than from Cal himself. This wasn't just about Emily. "You should talk to him about this."

"I would if he could stand saying more than a sentence to me before getting annoyed." Zoe shifted uncomfortably in her seat. This was obviously not a conversation she would've chosen to have if there was any way to avoid it. "I…just wanted to make sure he was ok. I can't imagine how he must've felt after what happened yesterday."

"He was shaken up, obviously, but he seems to be doing ok."

"Good, yeah, cuz he would never be one to admit otherwise…" She trailed off, looking up at Gillian with a mixture of envy and defeat. "But you already knew that." The women looked at each other, both aware of the subtext of that comment. Zoe got up and buttoned up her jacket. "I should get going. Leave you to your work."

"Zoe." Zoe turned to look at her. For a moment, Gillian opened her mouth as if she had more to say but just ended it with, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Gillian."

Relieved to be alone now, Gillian pulled out the Brandon file and got down to work. Chase Brandon's wife was due to meet with her in the office in approximately an hour. There was plenty to do and the last thing she needed was another distraction.

*****

Cal contemplated returning to the office but after his argument with Gillian, he was in no mood to dive into work. His cases weren't urgent so he decided to go home. He was well on his second beer when Emily returned from school.

"Dad! You're early." Emily rounded the sofa to find her father holding a half-empty beer bottle in his hand with an empty one on the floor beside his feet. "You alright?"

"Yeah, love, just a bit thirsty." He took another swig of his beer.

"You know, we have water for that." She joined him on the sofa. "C'mon, Dad, considering what happened yesterday, it's ok if you're feeling a little iffy."

He wrapped an arm around the young girl and pulled her to his side. "I'm alright, I really am. Believe it or not, that wasn't your dad's first time facing the barrel of a gun."

Emily tipped her head to look at her father. "Do I even wanna know?"

Smiling, he shook his head. "No, I think it's best you don't."

There was a long pause as Emily decided whether or not to pursue the topic. Finally, she pushed away from him and looked at him with inquisitive eyes. "So…what's wrong, then? And don't try to deny it cuz I can tell something's bothering you."

Usually, Cal found it amusing and reserved a good amount of pride when his daughter exhibited the same talents as him but, at times like these, he wished she wasn't so good at reading him.

When he didn't immediately respond, she continued, "This isn't about Mom being mad at you, right? Cuz…she's just worried. I mean, she kinda freaked out when she found out that you had been taken hostage and then I guess that kinda turned into anger cuz you hadn't called her right away. You know Mom, she's used to always being the first to get info at work, it bugs her to not have that kinda control outside of the office."

"Yeah, I understand. I think I could've done a better job of handling that, anyhow. I should've let you guys know I was alright."

Emily shrugged, her eyes softening with understanding. "It's ok. As soon as we knew you were ok, everything was fine." She paused, her lips curling up into a leer. "I don't think it really helped when she found out you had stayed over at Gillian's though."

"Yeah, well, I wanted to make sure she was alright. She was fairly upset…"

"So you went over there to keep her company." It was more of a statement than a question but she still looked to him to elaborate.

"I suppose it was as much for myself as it was for her." He shrugged, his eyes falling to the bottle still in his hand.

She smiled again and patted her father on the shoulder. "Dad, I think that's great. I think it's about time you found someone to talk to and if that someone happens to be Gillian, that's even better! I can tell she's really special to you."

Cal narrowed his eyes at the observation. "Special…"

"It's ok, Dad, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. I think it's cute how you act around her. You're all smiley and happy…" She laughed, getting up from the sofa. "She's a good influence on you." She reached out and snatched the bottle from his hand. "It's too early to drown your sorrows in alcohol."

"Hey, last time I checked, I was still the parent!" He called out after her as she headed into the kitchen. Once she was gone, he replayed her words in his mind. Knowing something himself and having someone else point it out to him felt, surprisingly, different to him. He checked his watch. It was nearing 5:00.

*****

Gillian was just finishing up her report when Ria showed up at her door. "Hi, I didn't think anyone was still around."

"Yeah, just finished up some prep work for one of Lightman's cases." Ria invited herself into the room. "How did the meeting go with Chase Brandon?"

"Good…until Cal showed up."

"Ooh…I hope it didn't end badly."

"No, the guy didn't suspect a thing."

"Good…um…Betty Brandon should be here soon. If there's nothing else, I'm gonna head out."

"Actually, there is something." Gillian had been thinking about this the entire day. "Earlier, when you said that Cal thought he had contaminated me. What did you mean?"

Having had the whole day to reconsider the situation, Ria realized she was in no place to push this any further than she already had. "I shouldn't…I mean…it's really not my place. You should talk to him."

"Right."

Eager to get out of this conversation, Ria gestured at the door. "I'm gonna get going. Oh, and thanks for backing me up to Lightman. I won't disappoint, I promise." She flashed Gillian a sincere smile before leaving.

Gillian checked her watch. 5:30. She wasn't expecting Betty Brandon until 6:00. She grimaced as her stomach rumbled with hunger. She had only managed a couple of hor d'oeuvres at the luncheon before Cal had pulled the plug on her act. _Maybe there was something to nibble on in the kitchen._

A search of the kitchen proved futile. There was no way she could grab something from a restaurant without being late for her meeting with Betty. All the food carts outside were closed for the day. She was about to return to her office, hungry and defeated, when she heard footsteps coming down the hallway.

"Hungry, love?"


	5. Chapter 5

"I thought you didn't like to eat anything where you couldn't see the meat." Gillian's surprise at seeing Cal in the doorway only lasted a second. She pointed to the take-out boxes he came bearing.

He shrugged. "I know you like eating weird and wonderful things. See this as…a peace offering of sorts."

She joined him at the table and her eyes widened greedily as he opened up the boxes, each containing some of her favourite take-out items. "Wow, you went all out."

"You seemed very angry." He responded quickly, not missing a beat.

Too busy already working on her first piece of sweet-and-sour pork, she simply smiled in response.

"Does that mean I'm forgiven?"

She swallowed the tasty bit of meat and looked at him. "I just wish you would trust me a little more. I've worked with you for six years now, Cal. That should mean something."

"It does, love! I just don't want our work to affect you the way it has affected me."

"What do you mean?" For a moment, she was confident she had caught a glimmer of openness on his face but it was gone quickly, like all of his other displays of emotion.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and fidgeted with a napkin on the table. He knew she was waiting for an answer but he struggled for the right words. Before he could respond, however, there was a sound in the lobby. Someone had arrived.

As if suddenly remembering why she was still here past office hours, Gillian shot up from her seat and gave her lips a quick wipe with a napkin. "That must be Betty Brandon." She stopped before fully exiting the kitchen. "Cal?" She waited until he looked up at her. "Don't leave yet, ok?"

*****

Betty Brandon was a busty blonde who seemed to have a penchant for diamond jewelry. Everything her handbag down to her shoes was embossed with some sort of expensive brand name. Gillian didn't like to judge books by their covers but if she were to do so, she could see why someone like Betty would need ammunition if she and Chase Brandon were to ever get a divorce. Nothing pays better than having a judge know your husband cheated.

"So?" Betty obviously wanted to get down to business. "What did you find out?"

"All signs point to the possibility of your husband cheating."

"I knew it!" The blonde slammed the table with her hand. "That bastard would never be happy with just one woman."

"Mrs. Brandon, I just wanna be clear that our job was only to test whether or not he would cheat when given the chance. We don't actually have any evidence of him having cheated before. You would need at least that to succeed in divorce court."

"Divorce court? Who said anything about a divorce?"

Gillian bit her tongue, realizing she may have just said the wrong thing. "I'm sorry, I just assumed…"

"That I was asking you to find out whether or not he would cheat because I needed proof to use against him in a divorce?" Betty scoffed. "My husband is one of the richest men in the country. I would be the only loser in a divorce. I'm not letting him go this easily."

"So, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly do you plan to do?"

"Stay with him. Be the best wife I can be. And when he's not looking, I'm gonna take all his money and make sure he's left with nothing if he ever dares to leave me. He can play all he wants but, at the end of the day, I'm the one he'll come home to."

*****

Gillian shook her head as she headed back towards the kitchen. She had just walked Betty Brandon out the door and was going through the woman's words in her head. _My husband is one of the richest men in the country. I would be the only loser in a divorce. I'm not letting him go this easily._ A few years back, she would've never understood why a woman like Betty would stay in a bad relationship. It used to seem so simple. If you're unhappy with someone, you leave. Now that she had gone through a bad marriage of her own, she knew it was never that easy…

"Foster? Foster!"

Cal's voice snapped Gillian out of her thoughts. She looked up to find that she had walked right past the kitchen. She backtracked and found Cal still sitting inside, waiting for her as she had asked him to. "Hey, sorry about that."

"Food got a bit cold so I reheated them for you."

She smiled. "Thanks." Who said Cal Lightman was careless and insensitive? This was a side of him she had been privy to so many times and wanted others to see but knew they would probably never get to see.

"How did it go with the wife? No flipped tables or broken glass so, I assume it went well?"

"Better than well, actually." She picked up a pair of chopsticks and got herself a dumpling. "She plans to stay with him. Only wanted us to test him so she could prepare herself for a long bumpy road."

"What does that mean?"

"She's gonna steal all his money to make sure he never leaves her." She shook her head again as she tasted the dumpling. Somehow, she wasn't that hungry anymore. She put down her chopsticks. "I guess that's what love has become these days." When she noticed him looking at her intently, she shrugged. "I don't even know why I'm letting the case get to me so much. It's not like whatever happens in their marriage affects me."

"You're upset because you've always been eternally optimistic about these kinds of things…love and such. When things don't happen the way they do as in your romance novels, it upsets you."

"If this is your roundabout way of again reminding me of how naïve I am for reading romance novels…"

"It's not. Actually, I'm quite glad you're upset."

"Excuse me?"

"Means you still have a heart."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Which is usually a good thing…"

"It is. It means these last six years haven't gotten to you as much as I thought they had."

Something clicked in her mind. This sounded oddly like what Ria had said to her earlier. _He thinks he's contaminated you._ "Did you think they would? That I had changed?"

"Like to admit it or not, you have changed."

"Really?"

He nodded, still unsure whether this conversation was appropriate to have or not, but he knew there was no turning back now. "Do you remember when we were guests at the Korean ambassador's wedding banquet for his son? After everything had happened, Alec had come to you several times asking you to let him go. You refused."

"Yes, because it was against work protocol."

"So you said." He waited for a reaction but when he got none, he continued. "I believe you're a consummate professional but I also believe that what you did that day was more of a personal reason than a professional one."

"Oh, ok, so now you're gonna analyze my actions." Her voice was tinged with the slightest annoyance.

"I'm not saying what you did was wrong. You read Alec and you could tell he was lying to you. You didn't let him go because you were afraid of where he was really heading to." He could tell she was struggling with how to react. He knew he was right, which made it hard for her to be too angry. "You read him. You didn't want to admit to it but that's what you did. One of the greatest pitfalls of our job. Sometimes you can turn it off after work and sometimes…it just always stays on."

"I think this conversation is over." She got up from the table.

"The point I was trying to make was that you have changed and I take responsibility for it."

She had been prepared to storm out of there but stopped. She looked down at him. There was nothing but sincerity and sadness in his eyes. "It's not your fault."

"I got you into this. I begged you to quit your job at the clinic to come be my partner. This job changed you. It's my fault."

"Cal, I chose to come work with you because I believed in your vision. I believed in your talent." She sat back down. "Yes, I have learned a lot from working with you but even without you or this job, my marriage still would've fallen apart. I still would've realized Alec was lying. Everything else still would've happened."

He looked at her but said nothing. It was easier to feel guilty when your 'victim' wasn't sitting in front of you, trying to make you feel less guilty.

"Torres said you thought you had contaminated me. Is that what you had meant?"

Cal's attention was piqued. "That was a private conversation." But he knew that wasn't true. No part of his conversation with Matheson had been private. He had turned on the audio for the others himself. He looked away, suddenly embarrassed that Gillian had found out what he had said. "I told Matheson. It was just a conversation I tried using to get him to trust me."

"So you didn't mean it?"

"No, I did!" _Why did this have to be so hard?_ He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "I have always felt guilty about dragging you into all of this. Sometimes I think how pleasant and calm your life would be if I hadn't asked you to be my partner."

"Why didn't you ever tell me this?"

He considered it for a moment. "I guess having a gun pointed at your head can bring a lot of submerged feelings to the surface."

"Feelings?" She smiled. "I thought that was my department?"

He poked some dumplings around with a pair of chopsticks and suddenly remembered why he had come back to the office in the first place. "Now that I've taken a shot at being honest, you think maybe you can do the same?"

"When am I ever not honest with you?"

"Now? Why have you been acting so odd towards me all day? Last night, this morning…I thought we were good. I apologized for running out after Matheson had been subdued."

"You think that's what's wrong?"

"I don't know! Wouldn't be asking if I did."

"Why did you come to me last night? You could've gone to Zoe's. Emily was there. You could've gone home. You could've drank yourself to oblivion. Why my place?"

He frowned, not sure what the point of the question was. "Because I wanted to check on you. Make sure you were alright." He knew immediately by the expression on her face that he had said the wrong thing.

"That's what I thought." She sounded disappointed.

"Is that wrong?"

She looked at him for a long while before finally shaking her head. "No. It isn't."

He could tell she had been close to revealing the true answer to this mystery but had backed off at the last moment. For a long time, they sat in silence. He wasn't sure what she was thinking about but he was going through everything she had said to him tonight. Absolutely every single word. And it suddenly hit him. He knew what was wrong. Funny thing is, he had known the solution to this mystery earlier when he had been talking to Emily. He just never consciously put everything together until now.

"I came to you because I was afraid you were still upset. I knew you were very upset yesterday when everything was happening. I wanted to make sure you were alright. I mean that." He said pointedly. "But it wasn't just for you." Though the reaction from her was subtle, it did not go unnoticed by him. He could see her face slowly lighting up. "I came to you because I wanted to. Asking to stay over was as much for you as it was for me."

Finally, he had admitted it. Though he had said approximately the same thing to Emily earlier, he knew it meant nothing unless he could say it to Gillian. He waited with bated breath for her to say something.

Slowly, she began allowing her emotions to show on her face. Relieved. Grateful. Touched. "Thank you. For being honest."

"So that really was what you were upset about?" He tried his best not to sound incredulous, not wanting to offend her any further.

"I didn't want to have you come to me because you thought that was what I needed. Cal, no matter how upset I was, it was nothing compared to what you went through. You could've died." She paused, her voice cracking ever so slightly. "The last thing I wanted was for you to worry about me."

"But I was."

She laughed. "But you also came to me cuz you needed someone and you have to be able to admit that to move on."

"So this was all a ploy just to get me to open up?" He looked shocked but secretly, he was amused by how far she had gone just to care about him.

"Do you know what happens to people who don't open up? Who bottle everything inside until, one day, they just burst? They end up like Matheson."

"So you were afraid I'd take a bunch of people hostage and cause a scene."

"Cal, I'm serious."

"Why didn't you just ask me in a straightforward manner? Why put on such an act?"

"Would you have opened up if I had just asked you?"

He crossed his arms and studied the woman in front of him. "You are a lot better at this than I have ever given you credit for."

"That's what I keep saying." She grinned.

"And what if I hadn't said everything I just said? What then?"

"Then I wait. However long it would've taken, I would've waited until you were ready to talk to me."

"You must think you're a genius for besting the likes of me."

"Oh, Cal, I've always been able to best the likes of you. I just choose to let you believe otherwise."

The amusement in her voice was undeniable yet he didn't feel the least bit angry or annoyed that he had been played. On the contrary, he felt relieved to know what had been wrong and that, even though it had taken a while, he had ended up doing the right thing in her eyes. Even more satisfying was realizing no matter how much she had changed, there was always a part of Gillian that was always going to be sunny and optimistic.

"I hope you're not planning to take back all this food now that you know I wasn't actually upset with you."

A laugh escaped his lips. The first sincere laugh he had felt come up from the pits of his stomach all day. Yesterday, being held hostage was hell. Today, dealing with the aftermath was almost just as bad. But none of that mattered anymore because the morning after was finally over. Tomorrow would be a better day.


End file.
